Oasis
by Auron Belmont
Summary: DQVIII: Third in a continuing timeline. Yangus reflects on how far they've come in the journey on the way to fight Dhoulmagus.


The dank, rotten corridor echoed with the sounds of four people panting for breath. Yangus' breath was the loudest as he wheezed for air. Jessica's was the quietest as she leaned over, hands on her thighs, sucking in breath. Akagi breathed against the lichen speckled wall holding him up. Angelo, sitting with his back against the opposite wall, closed his eyes and occasionally coughed while trying to breathe in a steady rhythm.

The ex-bandit recovered first. "Wheeeew! Guv, I nevah want to fight no three cave trolls at once evah. Gonna give me heart palpationin' or somefin'."

"Palpitations, Yangus," Akagi replied wearily. "And I agree. That fight almost did us all in."

"And we still haven't found Dhoulmagus in this foul pit," Jessica sighed. "Where IS that jester?"

It pleased Yangus that everyone seemed to be recovering. But it was true. Dhoulmagus was waiting somewhere and he would be far tougher than anything they've ever faced as a team. And given what they've already been through, that was saying quite a bit.

But they'd also learned a lot about each other as well. For example, the ex-bandit knew better than to ask Angelo "you all right, mate?" Having discovered their companion suffered a chronic condition relating to strength and fatigue, the other members of the party went slightly overboard with care. Until Angelo, in a fit of temper, snapped, "The next person who asks me that question, I'll shoot them so full of arrows that hedgehogs will think they've found a lost relative!"

Mindful of the Templar's waspish tongue, Yangus mutely offered his hand. Angelo glared at him, waiting for a comment. When none came, the man gratefully took the hand with a murmured of thanks and allowed himself to be pulled up. "My magic's tapped out. And I'm afraid to use our supplies to bring it back up if Dhoulmagus is still lurking about," Angelo said quietly.

"I'm running low as well," Akagi said. "We might have to find somewhere and rest."

"Rest HERE? Are you daft, guv?" Jessica replied, incredulous. "Do you really think the monsters will leave us alone so we can have a bit of shut-eye?"

"We can't face Dhoulmagus weakened as we are, Jessica," Angelo countered wearily. He looked in either direction of the long corridor. "It seems quiet here. I wonder why."

"Maybe we can still have a bit of rest like," Yangus said. He screwed up his face and started tapping on the wall with his axe handle. "Angelo's right. This is the quietest I've seen it in this 'hole bleedin' place. Might be somefin' here worth investigatin'."

"Why don't you try investigate a clue," the mage snapped.

"Jessica! We're all really tired and we want to end this fight. Yelling is going to do nothing right now," Akagi fired back in a rare show of temper. It was rare enough that Jessica's eyes widened and Angelo looked surprised. "Yangus, see if you can find anything."

Yangus continued tapping at the wall with axe handle and listening against the rock. Any decent thief knew most large buildings hid secret passageways. Nobles and the like were notorious for thinking someone would be out to get them or steal from them so usually while building their homes, tunnels or secret crawlspaces were the unexpected part of the blueprint. For a church of the Goddess --- he'd never tried stealing from one since he heard the Goddess did THINGS in her house --- the passageways were less to hide valuables and more to hide people in case of war.

However, this was a house of evil. Yangus knew there had to be places both to hide valuables from other monsters and also hiding places. When people weren't trying to run roughshod through the place, weaker monsters probably dug bolt holes or found caves to hide from their bigger, stronger kin. Or another possibility, as the ex-bandit saw his axe handle starting to slide on the wall from increased dampness. _They do all gotta drink somewhere. I wonder._

Clunk! The axe handle stuck into some loose rock. _Lesse here…_ It would work better with a shovel, but an axe would have to do. Pieces of wall started giving way under the steady power of the axe blade. Curious, the other party members gathered around and let the stout man do his work.

With a final tumble of rock, a small opening revealed itself. "I think we got somefin' good 'ere, guv," Yangus whispered. "I'll go on ahead." He didn't need to look behind him; by now he knew his friends would follow with weapons drawn and magic at the ready. The caution seemed unnecessary as the path ended in a small damp chamber holding a trickle of water ending in a small pool.

"Hunh. I guess you were right, Yangus. It doesn't seem like there's any monsters about," Jessica said quietly. It was possibly the closest thing to an apology she'd muster, the ex-bandit figured, and let it go.

"Let's all have a rest then," Akagi decided. Although they were leery of a water source in the middle of a nest of evil, hesitant testing revealed it to be harmless. Even better, the water trickled crystal cold down their throats and seemed to wipe away all fatigue.

"I wonder…" Yangus mused aloud as he rested against the cave wall.

"What do you wonder?" Akagi asked, sitting beside him.

"Do you think this'll be the end? The end of our journey? We'll all be strong enough t' take on Dhoulmagus now, yeah? What happens after that?" As gruff as the man was in manner and voice, inside he felt anxious. The four of them were thrown together for a common purpose but in that purpose, they were becoming their own special tightly-knit family. With the prospect of their journey ending soon, would they all go their separate ways?

Yangus couldn't picture life without the guv leading them with quiet confidence. Or Jessica there to surprise you with her mercurial temperament. Or Angelo there to back you up or zing you one, depending on his mood. Family was something he'd assumed came with marrying some dame and having a few kids, but this feeling of connection was as close as he'd thought a family could be.

"Well…" Angelo paused his thought to nibble on two slices of cheese from his belt pouch and wash it down with water. "What will happen afterward will depend on us, won't it? What we decide we should do. It's possible the Goddess herself has brought us together for this purpose."

"Maybe we should be worrying about how to fight Dhoulmagus instead, Yangus," Jessica countered as she rebraided the leather strands of her whip. "He stands in the way of us deciding our future."

"Well…" For whatever reason, Yangus couldn't let this go. "Why don't we all promise we'll knock it about once we stick our weapons in that jester's noggin'?" He held out his meaty hand. "Swear on it, yeah?"

A callous-marked hand rested on top. "I swear it," Akagi said, looking over at Yangus with a smile.

"…you are a good bunch of lads. I swear it." A delicate hand added its touch.

A hand in a leather glove sealed the promise. "I swear on the Goddess and on the best round of poker I've ever had that we'll have time to hash this out," Angelo replied, grinning.

Four hands lay together. Four souls swore to stand together. Four friends began plotting possible battle strategies. Four warriors left the cave, ready to face whatever may come. For Yangus, he felt especially light. The oasis in the sea of darkness had refreshed his body and soul.


End file.
